pansypoo's personal rant page.

a peripheral member of the ancient and hermetic order of the shrill
and currently suffering from republikkkan related tourette's.
from the SEXY locale of Milwaukee, now with photo enhancements!
feline exploitation, art, and random stuff.

People collect different things for different reasons. Some delude themselves by collecting some new toy made by tiny hands in a foreign country and thinking they’re investing. Some collect nothing but the finest china, porcelain, silver, you name it. But here we have two things that fit into a whole ‘nother category: “Things that are 2 inches tall.” If you know someone who collects 2” stuff, better give them a heads-up.

When I first started selling on eBay years ago, I sold virtually nothing BUT buttons. I sold them by the hundreds – all kinds from rare to odd. However, all I learned about buttons has leaked out my ears. I can’t remember a thing about them. But I know this is a beauty, and it’s from the 1800s.

I had so many buttons and took so many pictures of buttons and packed so many buttons that, to this day, I still have to choke back a gag when I see one. (That’s not casting aspersions on this Victorian beauty; it’s just making the point that one can get totally burned out on anything . . . except you-know-what.)

To be exact, the button is 1 ¾” by 1 1/8”. The perfume bottle is 1 7/8” tall. I’ll bet those hoards of collectors of 2” things are pretty miffed right about now for me misleading them a fraction of an inch. So be it. They’re usually a “little odd” anyway. You wouldn’t want to have them over for the weekend, although they’re masters of small talk.

The perfume is actually a glass bottle inside a gold-tone case with a mother of pearl face and cap top. Then there’s the fleur-de-lis in the middle. (The Boy Scouts didn’t sell perfume at one time, did they”)

And when you find an interesting old one like this, it’s even more exciting, especially if you enjoy tracking down the date according to which countries gained independence in such-and-such a year – or when the US acquired an island. In this case, Russia is still Russia, prior to it becoming the Soviet Union. That makes it pre-1922. Plus, the Philipines had been acquired by the U.S., so that makes it post-1898.

You gotta love the iron stand with its Art Nouveau embellishments and its nice fat paw feet. Even the finish is original and untouched. A surprising percentage of the bronze finish remains intact as well.

The paper map isn’t in perfect condition, but it’s still an incredibly decorative object as well as a piece of history. The worst area is the one seen above in Russia.

I’ll show you a lot of pictures of various parts of the world, featuring not only the flaws but also some of the areas that would make the exact date obvious to those who know their globes. I’m just not one of them, but I know the back roads of southern Indiana about as well as anyone.

I’ve seen what a restorer can do for an old globe, and I have a feeling this would be child’s play to fix up. Speaking of child’s play: You actually CAN see Russia from here by looking at the image above.

When Larry McMurtry wrote the line for the title character in his book, Cadillac Jack: “Anything can be anywhere,” he was dead on right! This very rare pair of decorative cast iron money slots for a mid 19th Century or earlier alms box walked right in my front door when I was just sitting around feeling sorry for myself, not having discovered anything super-exciting lately.

Obviously the surfaces are covered with an earned rusty “patina.” They could be cleaned up, of course, but I’m not sure I want to do too much. They’re old – They look old – And they look just the way they should after over 150 years.

I’m not sure who that is between the two cathedral windows. I’d guess it’s a saint associated with giving to the poor. Dang! This is the one time when it would be handy to be religious. I should call somebody, but I’m afraid they’d eventually get around to inviting me to their church, and I don’t enjoy being rude. (Well . . . sometimes I do. Don’t you? Like right now, I’d love to bump into an oil company executive who’s in charge of off-shore drilling. I’d open a very large can of rude on him in a heartbeat.)